Burglar and fire alarm system.



J. M. JOHNSON.

BURG-LAR AND FIRE ALARM SYSTEM;

APPLICATION TILED OUT. 12, 1909. 993,688 Patented May 30,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. M. JOHNSON.

BURGLAR AND FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.

APPLIUATION FILED 00T.12, 1909.

993,688; Patented May 30,1911.

2 SHEETS-8HEET 2.

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STATES rarnn'r OFFICE.

J it JOHN M. JOHNSON, OF BELLEVILLE, KANSAS.

BURGLAR AND FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.

'set oil by a burglar forcing a door or win dow open, or the flames, in ease of a tire, burning a cord or equivalent element that holds the meclmnism set.

The inventioi'i. has for one of its objects to providea novel system of this cluiractcr which is of comparatively simple and 1nexpensive construction, reliable and ellicient in use, and capable of being readily 1nstalled in a building to be protected.

A further object of the invention is the employment of an actuating mechanism released by lire or the entrance of a burglar, in connection with an ordinary telephone whereby the receiver fork will be raised when the mechanism released to close the usual signal circuit for signaling to the ceutral exchange operator, whereby the operator will be informed, by not receiving a re spouse from the subscriber whose telephone switch has been closed, that either a fire has started in the subscribers home or a burglar has entered, it being then the duty of the exchange operator to call up the police or fire department, or both, to investigate the trouble.

ith these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises t e various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and setl'orth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrateone embodimrnt ot the invention, Figure flv an interior perspect'ive view of a. room etpiipped with my improved lmrglar and tire alar iu. system. l ig. 2 a trout View oi. the actuating n'lcchanism connected with a telephone. .llig. is a detail view showing the means for raising the receiver fork of the telephone. l i gs. at andti are sectionalviews of the controlling means for the telephone actuating device taken 01. different planes. Fig. 6 is an elevation of he tele- Specification of Letters Patent.

1 v Application filed October 12, 1909.

Patented May 30, 19.11. Serial No. 522,333.

phone fork actuating device. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the lift rod for the telephone tork together with the trigger therefor. Fig. 8 an enlarged section on line Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a detail view of the contact hand. and of the said controlling .iueaus for closing the circuit of the telephone actuating device. Fig. 10 is a detail perspcctive view oi means for detachably connecting the tension cord to a tumble clement. Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspoiuling parts through.

out the views.

flte'l'erring to the drawings, A designates a s-iubscribcrs telephone set which may be oi the wall or desk type and connected with the telephone companys lines of the immediate lo iality so that the exchange operator can be employed in protecting the subscribers homes against fire or burglaries by in forming the tire or police department whenever a telephone call is received from any subscribefs home and the operator is unable to receive a response in answer to calls, the o; .rator being thereby made aware of the likelihood of a fire or an attempted burglary.

Associated with the telephone is an actuating mechanism, designated generally by I which is set by the owner of the house each night before retiring or at any other time when the house is to-be vacated, and this mechanism is under the control of a mechanism. desigmited generally by C, that. is also set to operate in case of a fire or the opening ol. a door o window. The actuating mechanism ll is located close to the telephone while the controlling mechanism may he at. any remote point, it being connected with the actuating device by an electric circuit.

The a .:tuating mechanism B comprises a casing 1 within which is arranged the means for raising the telephone fork or hook, and on the outside of the casing is an ordinary electric hell 2 for sounding an alarm to in- :torin the occupants of the house that a fire has occurred or some one is attempting to enter. Arranged within the casing, the body of which is removed in Fig. (5, is'a verticallydisposcd lift rod 3 mounted in bearings 4 in the base plate 5 of the casing or box. 011 the upper end of this rod. is carried a forkengaging member (3. that has its upper end bent laterally into an arm 7 extending under the fork 8 that carries the receiver 9 of the telephone A, the arm being recessed at 1 0 to. receive the portion of the fork projecting beyond the receiver.

The member 6 is connected with the rod 3 in any suitable manner to provide for properly adjusting the arm 7 to the receiver fork. In the present instance, this coupling consists of a sleeve 11 movable longitudinally of the rod 3 andhaving a laterallyex tending lug 12 through which the lower laterally-bent arm 13 of the member 6 extends. The sleeve is clamped in place by a set screw 14 threaded in an opening 15, while the member 6 is secured in place by a set screw 16 threaded in the knob 12 and binding against the arm 13 which passes through an aperture 17 in the lug,.as clearly shown in 8. By this means, the member 6 can be raised or lowered or moved laterally on the rod The rod 3 is equipped with a spring 18 which bears against the lower bearing 4 and against an adjustable collar 19 on the rod so that the spring will urge the rod upwardly from set position. The rod is held in set position by a trigger 2O tnlcrumcd at 21 on the base plate 5 and formed with a. bifurcated extremity 22 which engages a shoulder or projection formed by a recess 23 in the rod The engaging end of the trigger or catch 20 is urged toward the rod 3 by a spring 24 mounted on thc'base plate 5 and bearing against the trigger. The trigger is released by an clectro-magnct 25 carried by the base plate and having its armature 26 so arranged as to engage the lower end of the trigger to cause the bifurcated end thereof to disengage the rod 3 when the clecti'oanagiwt is energized. Whenthe trigger is rel ascd, the rod 3 is raised, with the result that. the receiver fork of the telephone is lifted to close the signal circuit leading to the central exchange.

The controlling n'iechanism C is arranged in a box or casing 27 which incloses a winding device and operating motor therefor. This winding device is in the term of a grooved wheel 28 that is rotated by a train of gears 29 and a spring 30, the gears and spring forming an ordinary clockwork mechanism. Arranged to wind in the peripheral groove of the wheel 28 is a l'lexi ble wire or cord 32 which, when the device is set, prevents the wheel 28 ilrom turning under the power ol the clockwork mechanism. The flexible (.lOll'HJlt} 32 passes through a guide 33 and over a pulley 3,4 and out of an opening 3!) in the casing 27 to connect with a string, ribbon or other device that is destroyed by fire but which is ol. suilicient tensile strength to oppose the winding oil the motor or clockwork mechanism while the apparatus is set. In the present instance. the cord 32, as shown in Fig. l, is connected with aribbon 36 of celluloid or the like vvhich may be incased by tubing 37 for protecting it against acci dental injury. The tubing and ribbon or other suitable combustible device may be arranged in any desired manner in the build ing to be protected, so that in case of a fire in any part, the celluloid ribbon, string or the like will be destroyed and thus permit the cord 32 to wind on the wheel 28. The cord may be extended across a door or connected with a window so that in case of the opening of either, the cord will be released from the ribbon 36 and allowed to wind on the wheel. be released by the opening of the door, a spring clip 38 is attached to the end of the cord to releasably engage a ring 39 on the celluloid ribbon 36, so that additional tenln order to permit the cord to,

sion on the cord, as by the opening of thedoor, would disconnect the cord from the ribbon and set off the controlling mechanism and the actuating device of the telephone.

Mounted loosely on the arbor 40 of the wheel 28 is an L-shaped arm 41 which is adapted to be engaged by a projection 42 in the form of a spring on the wheel 28 so as to move the arm 41' into engagement with an electrical contact 43 carried by the frame 44 of the clockwork mechanism. The projection or spring 42 thus carries the arm to the dotted line position, Fig. 5, but the wheel is permitted to continue its rotation until the cord 32 is wound, the spring 42 yielding as it passes under the arm 41 while the latter is engaging the contact 43. \Vhen the winding of the cord 32 upon the wheel 28 is continued until the clip 38 engages a fixed nu-mber, as. for instance, the casing 27 at'the opening 35 lherethrough,further 'the electro-magnet is connected by a wire 50 with a. binding post 51 on the frame 44 of tlie, clockwork mechanism, whereby the arborflt) and arm 41 are connected in circuit. it will thus besecn that when the arm l-l is in the dotted line position, Fig. 5, the elcctro-magnet 25 will. be energized to release the trigger-of the telephone fork lifting device, and consequently the .telephone circuit will be closed to in form the exchange operator that a tire has broken out or burglary is attempted at the place where the telephone is located. The electric bell 2 is connected with the binding posts 48 and 49 so as to be simultaneously actuated with the electromagnet 25.

In setting the device, it is merely necessary to pressdqwnwardly on the upper end of 35 the connector from which said connector is 4 adapted to be released by a suitable force the rod 3 to permit the trigger to automatithe advantages of the "construction and of said circuit terminals.

the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art-to which the invention appertains, and While I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illu'strative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim ,as new, and desire to secure by Let- -ters Patent, is:- I v v 1. An alarm apparatus comprising a rotatable member, power means for actuating said rotatable member, a strand connected it),

the rotatable member and constituting means for holding the latter against the action of the power means, a connector carried by the free end of the strand, a holding means for applied to the strand, a fixed means adjacent to the rotatable member and in the path of the connector for arresting the movement of the strand toward the rotatable member by engaging said connector, electric circuit terminals, means on the rotatable member for. causing engagement of said circuit terminals, and signal means controlled by '2. In an alarm apparatus, a rotatable drum, a flexible strand connected thereto for winding thereon, a strand responsive to a predetermined degree of heat to have its continuity broken, readily separable connections between said strands, a casing for the drum through which the first named strand extends and to which the readily separable the winding of the connection is moved by the drum, power first named strand on means within the casing for actuating the a drum and held against action by the first named strand and its connection to the second named strand, and signal ineans controlled by therotatable drum.

3. In an alarm apparatus, a rotatable member, power means for rotating the same, a strand connected to the rotatablemember and constituting means for holding the rota table member against the action of the power means, electric circuit terminals one of which is fixed and theo'ther'movable, and an elastic member-carried by the rotatable member in position to engage the movable terminal'to carry the same into engagement with, the other terminal, saidelastic member then yielding on further rotative movement of the rotatable member... I

4. In an. alarm apparatus ated member, thereby, an electric signal means controlled by the circuit terminals, a strand connected A a power actu- .to the power actuated member for holding the same against movement, another strand responsive to predetermined heat conditions,

and readily separable connectionsJ ietween the two strands whereby the second' strand acts in conjunction with the first strand tohold the power actuated member against movement. I

5. In an alarm apparatus, a spring actuated wheel, a tensionmember holding the wheel normally at rest, an element re- .sponsive to predetermined heat conditions and connected to said tension member, a fixed circuit terminal, a loosely 'mounted circuit terminal, and an the spring actuated wheel movable by the latter into engagement with the loosely mounted circuit terminal to move the latter into engagement with the fixed circuit terminal and then yicldable to escape from thecircuit terminals controlled 1 elastic member on circuit terminal actuated thereby, and signal means in circuit with the circuit terminals.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

J QIIN M. J OHNSON Witnesses:

W. e. MALL, Wnrrnnx. 

